Whatay Scandal ~ Murdoch Stops the Presses: News of the World Shuts Down

This phone hacking scandal has captured the fancy of every single international journalist on my Twitter timeline. The Indian ones - not so much. But of course, the hungama has only just begun with the closing of the News of the World and this scandal threatens to become the beginning of the end of the Murdoch empire. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.

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@RepWeiner #Weinergate Press Conference as heard on Twitter

[D] New York Congressman Weiner Twitter Profile Photo

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Lakshmi smiles on Lisa Blue

So, what do we have here?...an Australian spring/summer swimwear collection...
...professional models...cheeky, colourful, glitzy patterns and bold, stylish cuts...

BLKI

Doesn't hurt to throw in the quickest surefire route into headlines worldwide:
Make a garment out of man made images of man's favourite imaginary friend. 

For the record, Lakshmi is smiling.  Don't believe me?
Click the photograph to zoom in on the pretty lady's breasts.

BLKI

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Supreme Court: Sahara ka sahara to Nira Radia over 2G spectrum scam probe crosses Lakshman Rekha

A two member bench of the Supreme Court sent a contempt notice to Subroto Roy for attempted interference in the Enforcement Directorate's 2G spectrum scam probe on behalf of Nira Radia.

Source: Supreme Court of India

The Enforcement Directorate informed the court that Sahara Media journalists Upendra Rai and Subodh Jain attempted to harass assistant director Rajeshwar Singh who is probing the 2G spectrum scam and threatened to unleash a series of negative stories on him.

The court looked into the ED's complaint of interference and found enough evidence to "take suo motu cognizance and issue notices to them".

Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly directed Sahara Media not to publish any story relating to the questionnaire of 25 personal questions Jain sent to Rajeshwar Singh otherwise "someone will become a government guest.  We have respect for all, but they should know where the Laxman Rekha is," warned the bench.

Now that's what I call an alert and active court.

With the Prime Minister's Office and the former Finance Minister defending themselves from accusations of shirking their responsibility for inaction that knowingly helped along the biggest theft of the Indian treasury in history, we need the judiciary to step up to the plate.  The investigation must be protected.  Thank you for looking out for the people, Justices Singhvi and Ganguly.

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Throwing shoes at evil politicians is so first decade

I'm telling you straight up and up front, I'm feeling a little crabby today.

I caught the Unresolved Controversies Fatigue Syndrome (UCFS) yesterday and it will take an undetermined number of days and/or uber-duber newborn baby fresh news headlines to juice me back up to the trademark (and I say this with cheerful irony) sunny-sardonic disposition you've all come to know and love (no backtalk please).

Until then, you can take your sack of sunnies, mister, and stuff it where the sun don't [censored, rhymes with "mine'].

I'll make do just fine with sardonic.  Sardonic is a fine companion.  Sardonic doesn't give a hoot how you are or what you ate for lunch or what you did at school today.  I swear, if anybody so much as wishes me, "Have a nice day!" while I'm out sick with UCFS, I will plummet to supercilious-scornful.  Be careful, don't push me.  There are only so many steps to tumble down before the basement door knocks open and I'm stewing in a dank pool of vitriol.

Now, what were we talking about?  Ah, yes, India, politics, controversies, yada yada, yawn.

So, crabby-ola crown on (not to be confused with a crown of crab bolas), when I read that 2010 Commonwealth Games chief organizer and chief didn't-we-Delhi-people-always-know-he-was-super-shady guy, suspended Congressman and CBI catch Suresh Kalmadi became a slipper-hurling honoree yesterday, I felt rather underwhelmed.

Throwing shoes at evil politicians may be old news but Muntadar al-Zaidi is still a global hero.
Source: Binside

Throwing slippers at evil politicians is so first decade.  It's not even new or exciting or profitable in India anymore.  Click on that 'exciting' BBC link.  It's a cute little video segment on Indian villagers taking target practice classes to perfect their shoe hurling aim. 
I move to recommend a change of insult device.  How about instead of the shoes on your feet, you rip off the watch on your arm?  The older and heavier, the better.  (I'm too sick to corroborate my aerodynamics knowledge with NASA. You do it.)

What do you need your watch for?  I haven't seen anybody check their watch to tell the time since 1998 {urban} 2000-present {rural}.

We could always go retro and just bring a fruit.  Don't forget, the popular tomato is a fruit too, rotting or not.  I'm not so sick that I need to corroborate that.  No link for you!  Next!

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Modi, Aarushi, 2G, CWG: Unresolved Controversies Fatigue Rant [Update]

• 1: SIT submits report on Modi's role during the Gujarat riots
• 2: SC questions CBI over it's U-turn on Aarushi murder
• 3: Kanimozhi, Raja, DMK TV chief got Rs 200 crore bribe from DB: CBI
  
• 4: Kalmadi ends up in jail; accused of favoring Swiss company Omega

The common thread through the headlines today appears to be my own reaction.

I can't say I've read past every single headline on every single twist and turn for the past n number of years on the Gujarat riots or the Aarushi Talwar double murder case or the 2G telecom spectrum scam or the 2010 CWG scam.

But ah sure am gettin' tired'f readin'th headlyines, said PC in her best Scotty McCreery impersonation.

What does one take for unresolved controversies fatigue syndrome anyhow?  The red pill?

Which pill shall I take?
Source:Adam Kalel

Cue Morpheus.  Yes, Morpheus, I know you can only offer me the truth and nothing more. You see, the thing is, that's really all I want.  And don't worry about me so much! I already promised Col Jessop I can handle the truth.

Com'on now.  Can a blogger get some fresh blood around here?  Calling all attention-seeking-hoping-to-get-caught potential criminal minds.  Now's your time.  You serve it up.  I'll read it.

Disclaimer: Really? I need to write a disclaimer because some of you might accuse me of condoning future criminal activity? Really?

Update: Just what I suspected.  Don't expect justice for 13 year old Aarushi anytime soon.  According to an U.K based expert criminologist's opinion on the Aarushi Talwar double murder case, (the) "opportunity to collect crucial unadulterated evidence was missed. Unless fresh evidence comes to light, doubts will linger."  Thank you for taking the time, Deen Najubudeen.

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Shanti Bhushan CD - Cynics, Lies and Audiotape | India Reloaded.TV

Shanti Bhushan CD - Cynics, Lies and Audiotape | India Reloaded.TV

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Hazaar Views on Hazare

• Anti corruption + Pro Participatory Democracy + Anti Status Quo + Pro People Power = Pro Anna
• Agony and ecstasy: Kuldip Nayar, Deccan Herald. April 14
• Not like this only: Samar Halarnkar, Hindustan Times. April 14
• On Anna, corruption, religion, civil society, livelihoods and democracy. Just how much snark is good for you?: PC Khan, India Reloaded. April 11
• Take a bow Tweeple of India: Raju Santhanam, India Reloaded. April 9
• Anna Hazare skeptics miss the forest for the trees; Deaf to the voice of the people: PC Khan, India Reloaded. April 8

• Anti corruption + Anti Janlokpal Bill + Pro People Power + Anti Modi + Anti RSS = Anti Anna
• Why I didn't go to Jantar Mantar: Harsh Mander, Director, Centre for Equity Studies. April 14
• Why I didn't join Anna Hazare: Javed Anand, General Secretary, Muslims for Secular Democracy. April 14
• Not a very civil coup: Mihir Sharma, Indian Express. April 11

•  Anti corruption + Anti Janlokpal Bill + Pro Electoral Democracy + NGO Skeptic = Anti Anna
• The seeds of authoritarianism: Neera Chandhoke, Professor of Political Science at Delhi University. April 12
• Why tar all politicians with the same brush?: Madhu Purnima Kishwar, Founder-Editor 'Manushi' and professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. April 12
• @tavleen_singh. April 7

• Anti corruption + Anti UPA/Congress = Pro Anna
• LK Advani Blog. April 12
• Narendra Modi. April 12
  

Did you spot a fifth perspective or a worthy addition to one of these four? Tell me in the comment section.
Update: Deconstructing the Anna Hazare campaign: Vidya Subramaniam, The Hindu. April 16

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Talking about Anna Hazare, corruption, spirituality, religion, civil society, livelihoods, and democracy; Just how much snark is good for you?

Source: The Hindustan Times

Now that a 72 year old man is not fasting unto death, skeptics feel emboldened to snark at the spiritually slanted and RSS tinged anti-corruption protests initiated by those obnoxiously self righteous civil society types and embraced by those jingoistic roly-poly urban middle class couch potato types.  Other reports point out, through first person interviews, that for the poor, livelihood is a bigger fight than corruption

To the first view, I say, corruption is a bigger common fight than religious or spiritual grounding in this multi-cultural secular nation of ours.  At this point, this particular people's movement does not merit squabbles over tone and the type of public figures lending their support to the cause. 

To take on a duly elected government over a watchdog issue like this, one has to build genuine mass momentum through any and all means possible.  Do you know how difficult it is to create the ideal set of conditions to allow the maximum number of people to join a cause they already believe in?  If you believe in this cause, how can you object to timely endorsements from massively popular spiritual leaders?  Anna Hazare extended an open invitation to anyone and everyone who shared this value to join him in body and spirit at Jantar Mantar.  If we are serious about turning motivation and effort into results this time, how can we criticize the people who answered this call?  Don't forget, government only listens when it can hear you.

To the second view, I say, you've got the wrong goggles on.  How does one expect a 12 year old boy working at a juice shop a kilometre from Jantar Mantar to know anything more than his immediate world?  In India, the poor fight and lose the battle with corruption every day to eke out any sort of livelihood, whether they know it or not.  Everybody lives within the reality of the world with which we are presented.  What Anna Hazare is trying to do, is to change that reality for all of us.  Can't you just do me a favour, and let him do you this favour?

I submit, both of these views are too narrow to adequately capture more than a tentacle or two of the multi-headed multi-armed beast that sucks a billion bloodstreams.  There are many forces that divide us and very few that truly unite us.  If you've read my blog (or the last line of the previous paragraph), you know I love snark. And when it comes to civil society, I'm all for scrutiny and caution and even a certain amount of suspicion. But for the love of all that is constructive and hopeful, please, don't tear down a rare, delicate, national concurrence.  Not on corruption.  Not now.

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Democracy wins - baby step number one; hilarious TV panel debate: activists vs government

"Anna Hazare, Aage Bado. Hum Tumhare Saath Hain."/ Soldier on, Anna Hazare. We stand with you.

Anna Hazare will end his fast at 10am IST on April 9.  The government has accepted the people's specific demand for a notified joint committee with equal representation from civil society including a co-chairman.  This is the first victory in a new, enthusiastic, focused anti-corruption people's movement, be it a "minor symbolic victory".  It is definitely a moment to celebrate and thank the man who made it happen but how about a laugh at the government's expense?  Don't look at me like that.  If they serve it, I'll take it.

Sandwiched between Anna Hazare's two stage appearances tonight, in the thirty minutes we thought the fight was not over, I watched, possibly, the most hilarious debate ever to be aired on Indian television.  The spotlight was on two young activists - the first, a repeat guest; well informed, voluble and aggressive; perhaps a potential protege of the anchor and the other, adorably energetic and devastatingly inarticulate.  For the first time that I've ever witnessed, the famous Times Now anchor held back his own running commentary.  He didn't even just ask questions.  He happily took a back seat and simply connected the youth to UPA government representative and the only politician on the panel, Ms. Renuka Chowdhury.

Superbly aided by a journalist and a lawyer adept in politicianspeak, the activists refused to let Ms. Chowdhury get away with anything.  She started with an academic lecture on parliamentary committee-making delivered in an egregiously offensive, sugary, patronizing tone.  So, naturally, there was nowhere to go from there but up.  Skipping down memory lanes of college activism, Ms. Chowdhury tested the waters to see if she could slip in an undercover co-opt of public sentiment via expressions of pride in strong civic participation from the citizenry.  A few minutes, numerous interjections, and several half-sentences later, she got blunt; "we are not on the other side of the table".  Until she brought it up, nobody was talking in that language. She opened the door and the anchor ambled in with another government spokesperson's quote labeling Anna Hazare's supporters, "unreasonable" and "the other camp".  And so the backpedaling began.

The panel caught Ms. Chowdhury boasting her government put tainted minister A. Raja behind bars (and not the independent CBI), pooh-poohing deadlines for law making perhaps momentarily forgetting the context of a 42 year delay provoking a 72 year old man to go on a fast unto death, and diverting discussion to semantics - call it "our" government instead of "your" government.  When things got a little rough, she quickly reminded everyone of that old chestnut, politicians are people too. "Who are politicians?", she bleated.

"Politicians are smart people", replied the neglected sixth panelist who could only manage to get this one sentence in. "They know this is an inflection point and there is no choice but to be on the same side."

"We're damned if we do and damned if we don't!", exclaimed the government representative at one point.  "No, you're damned if you don't!", pat came the reply from the youth.

Kudos to Ms. Chowdhury.  Never once did she lose her smile during all the interjections and clarifications and mis-statements and self-victimization.  But you've got to admit, it is hard not to smile at her, too.

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Anna Hazare skeptics miss the forest for the trees; Deaf to the voice of the people

Skeptics like columnist Tavleen Singh who appeared last night on Times Now to inform us she knows lots of corrupt NGOs and the CNN-IBN editor's desk and "expert" reports who say the current Jan Lokpal draft proposed by India Against Corruption would "substitute one monster for another" don't seem to be paying attention to the movement.  Lets hear it straight from the horse's mouth.  See relevant section underlined in bold below.

Full text of Anna Hazare letter to the Prime Minister:

India Against Corruption
A-119, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad . 201010. UP Ph: 09868069953
www.indiaagainstcorruption.org
Date: April 6, 2011 To,
Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India
New Delhi 

Dear Dr. Singh, I have started my indefinite fast at Jantar mantar. I had invited you also to fast and pray for a corruption free India on 5th April. Though I did not receive any reply from you, I am hopeful that you must have done that.

I am pained to read and hear about government's reaction to my fast. I consider it my duty to clarify the points raised on behalf of Congress party and the government by their spokespersons, as they appear in media:


1. It is being alleged that I am being instigated by some people to sit on this fast. Dear Manmohan Singh ji, this is an insult to my sense of wisdom and intelligence. I am not a kid that I could be "instigated" into going on an indefinite fast. I am a fiercely independent person. I take advice from many friends and critics, but do what my conscience directs me to do. It is my experience that when cornered, governments resort to such malicious slandering. I am pained that the government, rather than addressing the issue of corruption, is trying to allege conspiracies, when there are none.

2. It is being said that I have shown impatience. Dear Prime Minister, so far, every government has shown complete insensitivity and lack of political commitment to tackling corruption. 62 years after independence, we still do not have independent and effective anti-corruption systems. Very weak versions of Lokpal Bill were presented in Parliament eight times in last 42 years. Even these weak versions were not passed by Parliament. This means, left to themselves, the politicians and bureaucrats will never pass any law which subjects them to any kind of objective scrutiny. At a time, when the country has witnessed scams of unprecedented scale, the impatience of the entire country is justified. And we call upon you, not to look for precedents, but show courage to take unprecedented steps.

3. It is being said that I have shown impatience when the government has "initiated" the process. I would urge you to tell me - exactly what processes are underway?
a. You say that your Group of Ministers are drafting the anti-corruption law. Many of the members of this Group of Ministers have such a shady past that if effective anticorruption systems had been in place, some of them would have been behind bars. Do you want us to have faith in a process in which some of the most corrupt people of this country should draft the anti-corruption law?
b. NAC sub-committee has discussed Jan Lokpal Bill. But what does that actually mean? Will the government accept the recommendations of NAC sub-committee? So far, UPA II has shown complete contempt for even the most innocuous issues raised by NAC.
c. I and many other friends from India Against Corruption movement wrote several letters to you after 1st December. I also sent you a copy of Jan Lokpal Bill on 1st December. We did not get any response. It is only when I wrote to you that I will sit on an indefinite fast, we were promptly invited for discussions on 7th March. I wonder whether the government responds only to threats of indefinite fast. Before that, representatives of India Against Corruption had been meeting various Ministers seeking their support for the Jan Lokpal Bill. They met Mr Moily also and personally handed over copy of Jan Lokpal to him. A few hours before our meeting with you, we received a phone call from Mr Moily's office that the copy of Jan Lokpal Bill had been misplaced by his office and they wanted another copy. This is the seriousness with which the government has dealt with Jan Lokpal Bill.
d. Dear Dr Manmohan Singh ji, if you were in my place, would you have any faith in the aforesaid processes? Kindly let me know if there are any other processes underway. If you still feel that I am impatient, I am happy that I am because the whole nation is feeling impatient at the lack of credible efforts from your government against corruption.

4. What are we asking for? We are not saying that you should accept the Bill drafted by us. But kindly create a credible platform for discussions . a joint committee with at least half members from civil society suggested by us. Your spokespersons are misleading the nation when they say that there is no precedent for setting up a joint committee. At least seven laws in Maharashtra were drafted by similar joint committees and presented in Maharashtra Assembly. Maharashtra RTI Act, one of the best laws of those times, was drafted by a joint committee. Even at the centre, when 25,000 tribals came to Delhi two years ago, your government set up a joint committee on land issues within 48 hours. You yourself are the Chairperson of that committee. This means that the government is willing to set up joint committees on all other issues, but not on corruption. Why?

5. It is being said that the government wants to talk to us and we are not talking to them. This is utterly false. Tell me a single meeting when you called us and we did not come. We strongly believe in dialogue and engagement. Kindly do not mislead the country by saying that we are shunning dialogue. We request you to take some credible steps at stemming corruption. Kindly stop finding faults and suspecting conspiracies in our movement. There are none. Even if there were, it does not absolve you of your responsibilities to stop corruption.
 
With warm regards,
(K B Hazare)

To quote a supporter at Jantar Mantar last night, "when the people take to the streets, the center of power shifts from the government to the people."  Do skeptics not realize that in the balance, India Against Corruption is not the side that suffers a public trust deficit right now?  There is an acute sense of frustration that has been building up for several months over multiple corruption scandals touching anyone who owns a phone or flies on an airplane or aspires to home ownership or quite simply, pays taxes to the Indian treasury.

Anna Hazare has managed to attract and hold national attention because he provides a clean apolitical platform to channel each citizen's outrage into a focused, determined, collective communique for tangible action through an entirely non-violent and legitimate method.  The composition of the crowd speaking up and exercising their democratic franchise to hold elected public officials accountable overcomes familiar political divisions of age, gender, religion, language, location, and wealth.

The spark is lit and won't flicker out.  At this point in the movement, it does not matter that some of the newer supporters do not know the details of the Lokpal bill.  The movement is larger than one anti-corruption bill because in fact, there isn't just one.  Despite several high profile cases of deaths and harassment in the past decade, India still hasn't put together a good bill to protect whistle-blowers either.

Right now, what matters is that the people care. Loudly. Visibly. Exponentially.  You might call it an international wildfire.

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I am Anna Hazare; Aaj Hazaron Hazaron Hazare Ki Zaroorat Hain

• Soundbytes from Indian children, some as young as 8-10 years old:
• "I am Anna Hazare."
• "You are not alone. Every Indian has Anna Hazare in him." 
• "We are with you. Together, we can form a great country."
• "We want India to progress. We want to eliminate corruption from its roots. The masses are aware of what is happening. I'm sure nobody wants to be called a corrupt politician."
• "I have come here to support Anna Hazare. I think he is a very good man because he is standing against corruption."

• Soundbyte from Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan:
• Anna Hazare deserves more support than the Indian cricket team because corruption is "infinitely more important and affects each and every one of us."

• Soundbyte from a youth in Delhi: "Aaj Hazaron Hazaron Hazare Ki Zaroorat Hain." / "We need thousands and thousands of Hazares."
• Anna Hazare: "Aazadi ke liye, yeh hamari doosri ladai hai." / "This is our second freedom struggle."

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Anna Hazare's 'fast-undo-death' gains 10 million supporters | India Reloaded.TV

Anna Hazare's 'fast-undo-death' gains 10 million supporters | India Reloaded.TV

We have not said no to Anna Hazare, but don't hurry us: govt

LIVE UPDATES:

• Lokpal bill has been languishing for 42 years.
• Anna Hazare speaks to a crowd of a thousand in Delhi (up from 40 in the morning); refuses to allow political groups on stage; public shoos away OP Chautala, Haryana politician and Uma Bharti from Jantar Mantar chanting "Nikal Jao"; Chautala smiles it off, Bharti retreats sullen-faced.
• Crowd numbering approximately 5000 gathers in support, many also on hunger strikes, 42 registered on overnight fast in a private room, in various locations in and near Mumbai.  Similar scenes in 200 cities.
• Youth will take a candle march in Central Delhi at 6pm local time.
• Delhi theatre group, Asmita performs a street play; public sings songs of peace.
• All India Lawyers Association pledge support.
• Aamir Khan writes a letter to PM in support of Anna Hazare.
• Anupam Kher, Madhur Bhandharkar are some of the first Bollywood stars to pledge support on-air to Times Now. Anupam Kher - "We are ahead of so many countries.  The only time we hang our head in shame is for corruption." Viewers call from Belguam, Ladakh and New York. "I wish I could be in Delhi."
• Soundbyte from Anna Hazare: "Yeh dishagul kar rahe hai, logo ke.  Bhrashtachar ko lagaam lagane ke liye aapne kitne kanoon baneye? Ek bhi kanoon nahi banaya. RTI humne andolan kiya."
• Soundbyte from Arvind Kejriwal, RTI Activist: "We have nothing against any minister. We want to name 5 eminent people, let the government name any 5 people. We will come back and tell you if they are not accepting reasonable demands.  Let the discussions be transparent." 
• Soundbytes from public at Jantar Mantar: "This is not for me or you; this is for India." "We cannot take this anymore. We have had enough." "If not now, when? If not me and you, then who?"

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India decides not to ban Pulitzer Prize winner's Gandhi biography

Isn't it nice when once in a while, the Indian government does something to deserve our faith?  I've kept mum on this particular controversy because firstly, while I am against banning any form of speech on principle, it is irresponsible and counter-productive to comment on a book you haven't read yet and secondly, I had a feeling good sense would prevail at Shastri Bhawan.  Thankfully, prevail it did.

Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily announced yesterday, the Indian government has decided not to ban former New York Times editor and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Joseph Lelyveld's "Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and his Struggle with India" because the author has clarified he has not written what has been attributed to the book.  

Mahatma Gandhi's glasses 
Source: The Guardian

"This is not a sensationalist book.  I did not say Gandhi had a male lover.  I said he lived with a man who was an architect as well as a bodybuilder for nearly four years.  The letters are part of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (Volume 96, to be precise) published by the Government of India.  They are in the Indian National Archive.  That particular volume was first published in 1994.  In other words, the material I used contains no news," said Lelyveld.

Many reviews of the book highlighted Gandhi's comments on black South Africans and Gandhi's close relationship with a Jewish German man, Hermann Kallenbach but Lelyveld contested the interpretations given to his words.   "I do not allege that Gandhi is a racist or bisexual in Great Soul," he told the Times of India. "The word 'bisexual' nowhere appears in the book.  The word 'racist' is used once to characterise comments by Gandhi early in his stay in South Africa, part of a chapter summarising his statements about Africans and his relations with them. The chapter in no way concludes that he was a racist or offers any suggestion of it."

Against the wishes of Gandhi's two grandsons Rajmohan Gandhi and Gopal Gandhi and great grandson Tushar Gandhi, the Gandhi family's home state, Gujarat banned the book last week.  Chief Minister Narendra Modi demanded an apology from the author for hurting the sentiments of "those with capacity for sane and logical thinking".  

Joseph Lelyveld's former employer, The New York Times notes, "the crux of the controversy is the intersection of two subjects on which Indians have strong views: sexuality and Gandhi."  I wonder if they forgot about the racism or tacitly acknowledged Indians are racists and don't mind that Gandhi felt, "Kaffirs are as a rule uncivilized — the convicts even more so. They are troublesome, very dirty and live like animals."

While I doubt he is truly surprised or entirely unhappy with the attention, my sympathies are with the author.  “I lived in India, and there’s an Indian word called tamasha,” he said, which translates to “spectacle.” “I’m surprised to find myself at the center of one, because I think this is a careful book, and I consider myself a friend of India.”

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Does Narendra Modi know what the letters NGO stand for?

SEWA logo

This one is irksome and unsurprising.

The latest Indian cablegate news is that the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat tried to encroach upon SEWA, the Ahemadabad headquartered globally reputed award winning multi-faceted women's non government organisation, in order to "disseminate communal ideologies" to their six hundred thousand members all across the state.  When the NGO resisted, its grants were held up over "financial irregularities", delaying payment for over five months to 12,000 poor members.

In a September 2005 cable, U.S. Consul General Micheal S. Owen recalls his meeting with SEWA general secretary Reemaben Nanawati.  Nanawati explains that SEWA strongly resisted pressure from the state government because communal harmony is crucial for the work of the trade union and self help group and  characterizes the state government's reaction as "vindictive".

Sigh.  Do you think, in our lifetime, we shall see the day Indian state governments stop treating the poor as their personal territory and start celebrating instead of interfering with the work of large successful NGOs?  I don't.  Why?  Two words: Vote bank.  Do I really need to spell it out to you?  No?  Good.

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Shiney Ahuja fast tracked to conviction, Abhishek Kasliwal slow tracked to acquittal

Today, the Indian justice system provided a neat contrast in the quality of police work on a rape case.  Two men, each fighting his own legal battle against an accusation of raping a woman significantly weaker in age, income and social standing, stood in judgement from a Mumbai court earlier today.

h/t Kalyanchandra

An 18 year old maid servant accused Bollywood film star Shiney Ahuja of rape on June 14, 2009.  She later withdrew the charge during a deposition in September 2010 but DNA test reports had already confirmed the incident and the judge refused to accept her testimony.  Ahuja initially denied the allegations and later claimed the sex was consensual.

A fast track court judge, PM Chouhan cleared the 38 year old defendant of criminal intimidation and illegal confinement charges but convicted him for rape and sentenced him to 7 years rigorous imprisonment and a Rs. 3000 fine.  Both the judge and public prosecutor said the "clinching factor" in the case was strong medical proof against the defendant.

A 52 year old widow and mother of two accused 27 year old Abhishek Kasliwal, heir to the Rs.1500-crore textile group Shriram Mills, of rape on March 11, 2006.  The police charge-sheet named three eye witnesses who saw the defendant take the victim to the Shriram Mills compound, forensic analysis of evidence found in the defendant's car and drug tests on the defendant.

The case took a mysterious turn in March 2008 when the public prosecutor, AM Chimulkar, admitted to the court the victim had gone missing in October 2006 and the police was unable to locate her and present her in trial.  The judge, KU Chandiwal, reprimanded the police for their lackadaisical attitude towards the victim's protection in direct violation of a court order given at the time of granting bail to the defendant.  Frustrated with the disappearance of the victim for more than two years, the public prosecutor resigned from the case.

Finally, the victim was found and brought to court in June 2009 where she identified the defendant.  Another two years later, on March 30, 2011, citing discrepancies in the victim's story and police reports, judge SR Malpani-Pawar pronounced Kasliwal with the words, "You are acquitted."

Your speculation is as good as mine on how much the following factors did or did not play a role in these two cases: celebrity, harsh media glare, money, criminal interference with a police investigation, police negligence, credible testimony from victims and eyewitnesses, medical evidence, prosecution's misconduct and subversion of the justice system. 

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Wikileaks, Cablegate and the era of Loki

Is anyone else wondering just how much fun N. Ram and his untitled Cablegate - Indian edition project team at The Hindu are having right about now?

Sure, they promised us "unprecedented insights into India's foreign policy and domestic affairs" captured by U.S. diplomats viewing events through the prism of American self-interest.  But they had to know what they were really doing was ushering in the era of Loki, Norse god of mischief, admired and distrusted by the rest of the gods for his "impulsive intelligence".

h/t Wikipedia

Loki was a shape-shifting trickster offspring of giants who grew up to be counted as one of the twelve Aesir gods.  He was considered brave and helpful, deceptive and scheming, cunning and malicious, charming and good looking - a marvelously complex and famous character in Norse mythology.

It's very early days yet and five thousand cables still to go on Cablegate - Indian edition but if this past fortnight portends things to come, holy democracy Batman!  Post March 15, I feel like I'm watching endless rounds of political ping pong on paper, although I do recognize every day in politics pre-March 15 was also always a potential ping pong day.  Twitter, that thoroughly useless barometer of public opinion in this context, boasted #defeatcongress as one of the top trending sentiments in India today.  I don't see why #ican'ttrustthebjp won't start doing the rounds tomorrow.  The Hindu feeds both sides just enough to keep the show on the road and they're probably not unhappy about help from very predictable quarters.

After all, Loki is a legendary contradiction - sometimes his antics are helpful to the gods, sometimes he creates more problems than he can solve.  Either way, this should be a very engaging era for all of us mere mortals....as long as we can keep Loki from crashing dinner parties on Friday the 13th.

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Come, fly with me, lets fly, lets fly away - actually, really really don't

Of all the things going wrong in India right now, it is a scandal that does not affect the majority of her 1.18 billion citizens that has found its way into headlines around the world.  

Source: Carlos Ramos

It all began when 38 year old pilot, Captain Parminder Kaur Gulati damaged the nose wheel of low cost carrier Indigo's Airbus A-320 in a flawed landing on January 11 in Goa.  Investigations revealed this wasn't the first time she had messed up a landing and it all made sense when her flying credentials were discovered to be fraudulent.  Gulati's arrest on March 8 was quickly followed by the arrest of Air India's veteran pilot J.K. Verma and the suspension of three SpiceJet pilots, including a 24 year old daughter of a Directorate General Civil Aviation (North) official. Today, with the arrest of Pradeep Kumar, a DGCA official complicit in the racket, police believe they have "smashed" the gang, while chasing four members still absconding.  Stay tuned.  This scandal will go on for a while in the Indian media.  Everybody who's anybody but not somebody, flies commercial.  The nobodies have their trains and buses.

This is not looking like a good year for India's tourism and aviation industry, already smarting from the tax torpedoes in the 2011 Union Budget.  So maybe, you might consider, just as soon as the dust settles, if you could use some exotic booze, ...well, there's a bar in far Bombay.

Take that, Shiv Sena.

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Your essential legislative rant toolkit

Lets say you're a member of the highest law making body in your country. Lets say the national government's under deluge from corruption scandals up the wazoo. Lets say you're mad about that. Lets say you want to scream and shout. Lets say you did. Lets say kids watched you. Lets say the country wasted Rs. 7.8 crore per day for lost sessions. Lets say you made good threats and got your way.

Lets say it's deja vu all over again.

Now what do you suppose you could learn from a classic Anthony Weiner rant?

h/t Associated Press


Cheat Sheet
["The gentleman is recognized."] "...I will not yield to the gentleman and the gentleman will observe regular order...The gentleman will observe regular order...The gentleman will observe regular order and sit down. The gentleman will sit. The gentleman is correct in seating."

Oh, and it helps if you're not entangled in the scandal you're ranting about, yourself.

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